Your box 7-10-15

Posted on July 10, 2015 by patty

Standard Box

Red Beets with Greens
Broccoli, 1.25 lbs.
Spinach
Italian Parsley
Naked Oats, 1 pint
Basil, .25 lb.
Cherry Tomatoes, 1 pint
Red Cabbage
Cherries, ACMA Mission Orchards,
Wenatchee, 1.3 lb.

Small Box

Red Beets with Greens
Broccoli, 1 lb.
Spinach
Italian Parsley
Naked Oats, 1 pint
Cucumber
Cherries, ACMA Mission Orchards,
Wenatchee, 1.3 lb.

Try this delicious recipe with Nash’s Naked Oats

These hull-less oats, or Naked Oats as we prefer to call them, have a great variety name—Streaker! They are the same as other oats, but their hulls are looser so that when they go through the combine, most of the hulls shake off easily.

They also have the same powerful health benefits as other varieties of oats, including their cholesterol-lowering fiber, called beta-glucan. There were so many studies done since the 1960s proving the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels that by the 1980s, oats were the center of many fad diets. The fad may have passed, but starting your day with fresh-cooked oatmeal is still a wise choice, especially for folks with a higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, or stroke.

One cup of oats gives you 70% of your daily manganese requirement, plus vitamin B1 and magnesium. Oats may also help prevent type 2 diabetes and bolster your immune system. There is even evidence that it fights cancer, specifically breast cancer.

Pan-seared Oatmeal

1.5 cups Nash’s Naked Oats
2 cups milk or coconut milk
2 cups water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Put the oats into a food processor or blender and pulse several times to coarse-grind. Bring the milk and water to a boil, add brown sugar, salt and oats and then let simmer, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes, until thick and oats are soft.

Pour the mixture into a rectangular baking dish and let cool for at least an hour to become solidified. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup honey to a boil. Put some fruit, like blueberries or cut up apple in a bowl and pour the honey over them. Let stand.

Lightly coat a frying pan with vegetable oil or butter. Place on medium heat. Cut the oatmeal into squares and sear each piece on each side. Place on plates and pour the honey/fruit mixture over the tops. Garnish with a little grated coconut and slivered almonds, if you like.

For a super-simple oatmeal recipe, try the Crockpot Oatmeal at our Recipe Blog on Nash’s website, http://nashsorganicproduce.com/recipes/crockpot-oatmeal-with-nashs-naked-oats/

Beets & Greens

Beets are high in fiber and folate, and loaded with minerals that are important for our metabolism such as iron, zinc, calcium, copper, magnesium, and potassium. Beets are an excellent source of manganese, a mineral that is important for bone health, and they are a good source of selenium which is an antioxidant that helps to protect our bodies from harmful reactive oxygen species by neutralizing these molecules to harmless compounds such as water- it’s like magic!

Don’t throw away those greens! They are an excellent source of fiber as well as B vitamins in more concentrated quantities than the beet roots offer. They also offer a whopping amount of vitamins A and K. Beet greens are delicious sautéed in olive oil with a splash of balsamic vinegar, they can be served with their roots in a dish or can stand on their own as a side to any meal. They can act as a substitute to chard in any recipe.

Raw Beet Salad

This sweet and crunchy salad is a perfectly nourishing side dish for these hot summer days. 4 servings.

1 to 1 ½ pounds beets, preferably small
2 large shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry or other good strong vinegar
1 sprig fresh tarragon, minced, if available
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

Peel the beets and shallots. Combine them in a food processor and pulse carefully until the beets are shredded; do not purée. (Or grate the beets by hand and mince the shallots, then combine.) Scrape into a bowl.

Toss with the salt, pepper, mustard, oil and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss in the herbs and serve. We thank markbittman.com for this recipe.

The Importance of Being Diverse

Posted on July 10, 2015 by patty

Nash Huber and his team of young farmers work hard to maintain diversity on the farm, not only in soil biota or vegetable varieties, but in the farm’s product line. As the uncertainty of climate change increases, the value of diversity becomes more and more apparent.

Nash’s Organic Produce started out as a vacant lot or two of vegetables and berries in Dungeness in 1979. In the 1990s, however, the farm started to grow and that was when Nash began to put in place his vision of a diverse family farm. He grew up in south-central Illinois at a time when all farms were diverse and “organic,” even though they didn’t label themselves as such. He realized that a farm that had not only vegetables and fruit, but grain, seed and animals on the land, never wasted anything and could maintain higher soil quality, just as his grandparents’ farms did.

In 2007, Nash and Sam McCullough (the farm’s seed/field/equipment manager), were approached by WSU to do wheat trials. The trials were successful and today they raise several kinds of wheat, barley for animal feed, triticale (a cross between wheat and rye), rye, buckwheat, two kinds of dried corn, various legumes, and oats. For the first time this year, the farm is doing variety trials of quinoa.

Nash has always believed that the soil benefits when just the right amount of animals are on the land. The pigs are part of the nutrient cycle on the Delta Farm, happily munching on sunchokes (above) and grass in pastures, while fertilizing and aerating the soil.

Producing our own seed is also critical. Seed companies consolidate and discontinue varieties, or they genetically modify seed. At Nash’s, young farmers Sam, Chris Tipton and Waylon Barrett have worked to develop local varieties of seed for veggies like spinach, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, carrots and more that are organic and adapted to our climate and soils.

So it can be said that Nash has achieved his vision, but only to a certain extent, as much remains to be done to fully integrate all the components of the farm. We are grateful to our hardworking managers and crew for balancing it all.

Your box 7-3-15

Posted on July 3, 2015 by patty

Standard Box
Spinach – 1 bunch
Fava beans – 1.5 lb.
Garlic scapes – 1 bunch
Baby dill – 1 bunch
Red chard – 1 bunch
Lettuce – 1 head
Cornmeal –1 pint coarse ground
Strawberries – 1 pint
Lacinato Kale – 1 bunch
English cucumber

Small Box
Spinach – 1 bunch
Fava beans – 1.25 lb.
Garlic scapes – 1 bunch
Baby dill – 1 bunch
Red chard – 1 bunch
Lettuce – 1 head
Cornmeal –1 pint medium ground

Ways to enjoy your fresh baby dill

Add finely chopped dill to tuna, egg or chicken salad sandwiches.
Easy Cucumber-Tomato-Dill Salad: Mix 1⁄4 cup fresh dill with 1⁄4 cup vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, 1⁄2 tsp. salt, 1⁄4 tsp. black pepper, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add 2 sliced cucumbers, 1 cup sliced red onion, and 2 cut-up tomatoes. Toss, and let rest 15 min+ before serving.
Use the delicate dill fronds as a delicious garnish, or to sprinkle on soups and stirfrys.
Season fish or chicken with a combo of minced dill and garlic, S & P
Add to Greek green salads, with Romaine, sliced scallions and crumbled feta.
Brighten any bowl of salad greens with roughly chopped dill.
Season roast chicken: Combine 1⁄2 cup finely chopped dill with 2-3 Tbsp. butter, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture under skin of breasts, thighs, and legs, and massage it around the meat. Stuff some into the cavity of the chicken with lemon slices and garlic.
Add to everything from Cole slaw and omelets, to lentil dahl and borscht.
Dip veggies, chips, or pita in this easy dill sauce, or enjoy over steamed veggies and rice: 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, 1.5 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 2-3 tablespoons minced dill and optional 2 clove garlic.

About your cornmeal

Most of the dried corn grown in the United States today is genetically modified (GMO). But organic, non-GMO corn has been carefully preserved by concerned individuals and institutions. The source of the organic yellow dent cornmeal in your box is Dr. Walter Goldstein of the Mandaamin Institute in Wisconsin. Dr. Goldstein gave Nash’s Farm a small quantity of his organic seed about five years ago and we have carefully grown it out each year to preserve the variety (Wiger) and to provide some of the tastiest cornmeal ever!

The medium ground cornmeal in the small box is ideal for baking muffins, quick breads, or cornbread, like Kia’s Skillet Cornbread (photo above). The course ground cornmeal in the standard box is wonderful for polenta, like Mary’s Corn Polenta.

These recipes, plus many others, are available on Nash’s website on our Recipe Blog (www.nashsorg-anicproduce.com. The link is in the left-hand column) If you have a special recipe you’d like to share, or some tips for preparing the items in your box, please share them with us, using the link in the left-hand column of the Recipe Blog homepage.

Fava Beans

Favas are great in soups, stir-fries or pasta. Roast them with garlic, olive oil and salt to taste, or use them raw, chopped into salads. Puree favas for an alternative green base to pizza or pasta. Boil and mash them, and spread the paste on crostini.

To shuck favas, remove the beans from the pods by pulling off the string and splitting the pod. There are about 4 to 5 beans per pod. To remove the second skin, there are two different methods. The first is to make a small slit with a knife along the edge of the bean to pop the bean out of its skin. The alternate, and more popular, method is to blanch them for 30 seconds. Remove the beans from the boiling water and submerge them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. This step softens the second skin, making it easier to remove. With your fingers, squeeze the bean out from its skin.